Gate-fastener.



" no. 828,740. BATENTED AUG. 4, 1906.

J. HOLLOPETER.

GATE FASTENER.

APPLICATION mum 0013.11, 1905.

Fa-9.1 2/3 10 i ATTORNEYS JOSIAH HOLLOPETER, OF ELSMERE. TO PARKERSON R. GILES,

NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-H ALF,

OF ELSMERE, NEBRASKA.

-GATE-FASTENER.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosIAH HoLLoPETER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elsinere, in the county of Cherry and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Gate-Fastener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

his invention relates to fasteners such as are used on the gates of farm-fences.

The fastener is especially adapted for use on gates such as are formed in wire fences and which are not as frequently opened as ordinary gates. I refer to such gates as are formed without frames and which are maintained in position by a horizontal tension in the longitudinal members of the gate.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of this class which is very simple in construction, readily applied, and which may be easily operated. At the same time the construction of the device is such as to prevent the actuation of the fastener by cattle.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and definitely set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the gate, showing a portion of the fence with which the gate is used. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fastener, certain parts of the same being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a plan of the fastener, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 and 2 represent opposite gate-posts of a barbed-wire fence 3. The gate 4 may be constructed of barbed wires 5, arranged horizon tally, as shown, and connected at their extremities to vertical gate-bars 6 and 6 At or near their middle portions the wires 5 are preferably attached to a vertical brace-bar 7.

It will be understood that the gate is supported in position, as indicated in Fig. 1, by tension exerted through links 8, disposed at the left, the link 9 disposed at the right, and my fastening device 10. The links 8 and 9 are simply elongated bands, which are passed around the gate bars and gate posts, as shown. Evidently these members may be applied readily without the exertion of con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 11, 1906. Serial No- 282,262.

Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

siderable force. In this connection it should be understood that the gate will always be attached to the gate-post 1 by means of the links 8. The link 9 at the right and the fastening device 10, however, are removable.

The construction of the fastener will now be described. This device comprises a yoke or fork 11, adapted to be attached. rigidly in any suitable manner to the upper extremity of the gate-post 2. At its forward side,whi ch is adjacent to the gate-bar 6 the yoke 11 18 formed with a head 12, through which passes a pivot-bolt 13. This pivot-bolt affords means for attaching an elongated socket 14, which is substantially square in section, as shown in Fig. 4, the outer extremity of said socket being open, as indicated. Preferably on its upper face the socket 14 is provided. with ears 15, between which there is pivotally attached a latch 16, the same having a downwardlybent bill 17, which extends through an opening 18 in the upper side of the socket and projects into the interior thereof, as shown. Opposite this bill the latch is provided with. a handle or tail 19, which extends longitudinally of the socket, as shown. Under this tail a leaf-spring 20 is arranged, which is rigidly attached to the socket, and this spring affords means for forcing the tail upwardly, so that the bill 17 is readily pressed inwardly into the socket.

A tongue 21 is provided, which comprises an eye or collar 22, attached to the upper extremity of the gate-bar 6 from which collar 22 a rack 23 projects horizontally, normally lying in the interior of the socket 14, as shown. On the upper edge of this rack, which lies adjacent to the upper wall of the socket, inclined teeth 24 are provided, which have abrupt rear faces 25 on the sides adjacent to the collar.

The lowest wire strand 4 of the gate is arranged in a slightly-elevated. position, so that the gate-bar 6 presents a projecting lower i extremity 26. In placing the gate in posi tion this extremity 26 is inserted in the link 9. The rack 23 of the tongue is then inserted in the socket and forced inwardly, so as to place the wires of the gate under tension. In this way the rack-teeth 24 are made to pass under the bill 17, so that the said bill will engage the abrupt edges 25 thereof in such a manner as to lock the tongue against being withdrawn. By this means the gate-wires may be maintained taut, while the gate con stitutes substantially a continuation of the fence. The pivotal connection at the bolt 13 is highly advantageous, as it facilitates the insertion of the rack in the socket.

It sometimes happens that cattle wi ll oper ate the latch of a gate with their noses. In order to prevent this difliculty in connection with my gate, I provide a guard 27, which consists of a rod bent into the form shown in Fig. 2, so as to present legs 28, which are attached to the upper face of the socket, and a connecting-bar 29. This guard is sufficiently large to enable ones hand. to be applied to the latch 16, but will not permit the operation of the latch by the nose of an animal, such as a horse or a cow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a fastener of the class described, in combination, a socket adapted to be attached to a gate-post and having an opening through the wall thereof, a latch pivotally attached to said socket and having a bill projecting through said opening into the interior of said socket, a spring between said latch and said socket pressing said bill inwardly, and a tongue adapted to be attached to the gatebar and having a rack with inclined teeth in the edge thereof which may engage said bill when said rack is thrust into said socket.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a yoke adapted to be attached to a gate-post, a socket pivotally attached to said yoke and presenting an opening in the wall thereof, a latch pivotally attached to said socket and having a bill extending through said opening and projecting into the interior of said socket, a member attached to said socket and constituting a guard for said latch, and a tongue adapted to be attached to the gate-bar and presenting a rack with teeth adapted to engage said bill when thrust into said socket.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSIAH HOLLOPETER.

. Witnesses:

S. P. RonooKER, O. RoDooKER. 

